Governing mechanism



June 24, 1941. 5 B, LARKE 2,247,151

- sovmmmo' MECHANISM Filed Sept. 3. 193a ln vehbbri "Edward B.-Clarke,

His Attorney.

?etented June 24%,, lid ill GOWERNWG lVllEilldilNllSP/l Edward B. Elarlre. Lynn, Mass, assignor to Genoral llllectrlc Jompany, a corporation oi New Application September 3, 1938, Serial No. 228,383

(ill. 253-89) illaims.

The present invention relates to governing mechanisms as may be used for controlling the operation oi a gas turbine for. driving a generator or a superchargeror like machine ill ailcraft plants or the like. The invention is ofparticuiar significance with regard to gas turbine arrangements in which exhaust gas from Fig. l the gate valve 26 for the channel it and the waste valve it are in open position. Under this condition gas conducted to the inlet channel ll is partly discharged therefrom thru the waste conduit it and partly supplied to the two compartments 22 and The closing of the waste valve it, as shown in Fig. 2,,oauses all the gas a combustion engine is supplied to a gas turbine.

The object of my invention is to provide an improved construction and arrangement of governing mechanisms of the me above specified whereby accurate control of a gas turbine power plant may be readily efiected by comparatively instance an alternator it, having a shaft lit.

The gas turbine comprises'a nozzle box it with a ring oi nozzles ill for conducting gas under pressure to a bucket wheel it rotatably secured to a shaft it. The shaft it may iorman'overhung portion of the generator shaft it, and the gases may be discharged irom the bucket wheel into the atmosphere as shown in the application of Samuel R. Puller Serial No. 212,29? filed on. June '3, 12138 and assigned to the'same assignee as the present application. The nozzle box it has a fianged'inlet conduit ii for connection to a source of gas under pressure, such as the ex haust manifold of a combustion engine. A waste gate comprising a waste conduit It with a'waste or gate valve ill is connected to the inlet conduit ll whereby a portion of the gas may be discharged directly to atmosphere without passing through the turbine. The nozzle box has two dams or partitions 2t and it which deflne'twio compartments, a short compartment 22' and a 'long compartment 233, in the nozzle box. The

dam 2! projects into the inlet conduit il, dividing the latter into two channels it and it. One of the channels, in the present instance, the channel it, includes a control or gate valve 2%. This valve may be termed a compartment valve in that it controls the flow of gases to the compartments it and it. In the position shown in to be supplied to the two compartments 22 and in the nozzle box, and finally, closing oi the gate valve is and the large valve 2% causes all the gas conducted to the conduit ill to be supplied to the small compartment Z22. Thus, the valve 2 5 and the separate compartments in the nozzle box permit partial admission operation of the gas turbine, by partial admission being meant operation of the turbine with the gas supplied only along an are of the bucket wheel.

With a given amount of available gas, partial admission operation permits higher load output than operation with full admission. As long as an excessive amount oi. gas is conducted to the conduit ll which is the case when a combustion engine connected to the conduit it is operated at maximum speed, both valves iii and it are in open position, as shown in Fig. l, causing waste of a portion of the gas and full admission to the turbine wheel t l.

During normal operation, as in the case of an aircrait during cruising, the waste valve is closed and the large compartment valve open, as

shown in Fig. 2, causing full admission to the turbine wheel of all the gas conducted to the conduitjll. When a small amount of gas is received by the conduit ll, which in the case of aircraft operation may take place during gliding of the aircraft, both valves it and 2d are closed, causing partial admission operation with all the gas conducted to the small compartment 122 to eifect maximum load output with a given small amount of gas. Thus, with a decreasing supply of gas to the inlet conduit Ill it is desirable first gradually to close the waste valve it and after this valve is in closing or near closing position gradually to close the large compartment valve to. The operation or the two valves in the aforesaid manner is automatically effected in accordance with my invention by a governing mechanism connected to the valves.

The governing mechanism is responsive to changes of an operating condition of the gas turbine or an element connected thereto. In the present example the governing mechanism comprises a speed governor 2i! driven from the shaft it through a gearing it and connected to a pilot valve it having valve heads to for conmitting all of the operating fluid to drain from the lower portion of the hydraulic motor 32, the piston of the latter being in its lower end position. Th maximum speed position is the same as in case of failure of oil pressure due to breakage of an oil line. A drop in speed during operation causes downward movement of the pilot.

valve heads 30 whereby operating fluid under pressure is admitted through the pilot valve to the conduit 3i and the hydraulic motor 32, forcing the piston 33 upward against the biasing force of the spring 35. The upper end of the piston stem 36 is pivoted to the left-hand end of a lever 36 which has an intermediate portion supported on a fulcrum 37 and a right-hand end pivotally connected to an intermediate point of a floating lever 38. The two ends of the lever 3d are connected to links 33 and M respectively.' The link 39 is pivoted to an arm ii of the large compartment valve 26 and the link ll) is pivoted to an arm 62 of the waste valve H9. The connection between the fulcrumed lever 36'and the floating lever 38 includes a spirally wound spring 33 which tends to turn the floating lever 38 in clockwise direction about its pivotal connection with the fulcrumed lever 36. Thus, the spring tends to force the link 40 downward and the link 39 upward. This movement of the links is limited by a stop M fastened to the outside oi: the conduit H and engaging the arm til in the operating position of Fig. 1. If now, 'due to a decrea e in speed, the'stem 3d of the hydraulic motor is moved upward, the fulcrumed lever 36 turns about its fulcrum 31 whereby the righthand end of the floating lever 38 is moved downward due to downward movement of the righthand end of the fulcrumed lever 37 into the position shown in Fig. 2 in which the waste valve i9 is closed. During movement of the mechanism from the position in Fig. 1 to the position in Fig. 2 the link 33 turns about its pivotal connection with the arm ii. The upper end of the link is prevented from upward movement by the stop M engaging the arm ti and limiting movement of the valve 26. A further drop in speed causes further clockwise turning movement of the'lever 35. Further downward movement of the right-hand end of the lever 36 causes counterclockwise turning movement of the lever 38 about its pivotal connection with the right-hand end of the fulcrumed lever 36 gradually closing th large compartment valve 26 until the position shown in Fig. 3 is reached in which the valve 26 is completely shut. In Fig. 2 the waste valve I9 engages the wall of the conduit 3, the latter thereby limits movement of the valve l9 and its arm 42.

The tension of thespring 43 is released as the mechanism moves from the position shown in Fig. 1 into the position of Fig. 2 and thereafter mechanism is moved from the position of Fig. 2 to that of Fig. 3. The spring is under the least tension in the position of Fig. 2. This constitutes the spring a yieldable means which tends: to hold the large compartment valve 26 in open positionand the waste valve it in closed position.

- the tension'of the spring w is increased as the Thus, with my invcntio'nl have accomplished an improved construction and arrangement whereby two valves may be moved in succession from opening towards closing position. In the embodiment shown in the drawing the first of these valves serves to control the flow of fluid or exhaust gas to a large compartment of a gas turbine nozzle box or, from another viewpoint, the first valve serves to control the partial admission or the ratio of admission of operating fluid to two compartments of a nozzle box and consequently to two sections of a turbine wheel. The second valve in the present instance controls the waste of gas or operating fluid; from a. broader viewpoint, the second valve controls the ratio of the amount of fluid conducted to the turbine and the fluid conducted to another point, in the present instance, to atmosphere. The valves are connected by links to a lever mechanism controlled by a governor. The mechanism includes yieldable means in the form of a spring connected between two levers and acting to hold the first valve in open position until the second valve is shut.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is: I

1. The combination of an elastic fluid-turbine having a bucket wheel, conduit means forming two channels for conducting elastic fluid to separate sections of the wheel, a first valve in one of the channels, another conduit with a second valve connected to the conduit means for'bypassing fluid with regard to the wheel, and a mechanism fol-controlling the first and the second valve comprising a fulcrumed lever, a floating lever pivotaliy connected to the fulcrumed lever and to the valves, and yieldable means connected to the levers to effect successive closing and 7 two channels for conducting elastic fluid to separate sections of the wheel, a valve in one of the channels to control the ratio of fluid flowing through the two channels, another conduit with a valve connected to the conduit means for bypassing fluid with regard to the wheel, .and a mechanism for controlling the valves comprising a fulcrumed lever, a floating lever having an intermediate point pivotally connected tothe fulcrumed lever and ends connectedto the valves, and a spring connected between the two levers to bias one valve towards opening positionand the other towards closing position in order to eifect successive opening and closing of the valves.

3. The combination of a. gas turbine having a nozzle box formingtgvoicompartments, conduit means forming two channels for separately conducting gases to the two compartments, one of the channels including a valve'to control the ing position and the waste valve towards closing position and to prevent closing of the channel valve while the waste valve is in open position.

4. The combination of a gas turbine having a nozzle box forming two compartments, conduit means forming two channels for separately conducting gases to the two compartments, one of point connected to the fulcrumed lever and ends 7 connected to the valves, spring means connected between the fulcrurned and floating levers to effect successive opening and closing of the valves, and stop means limiting movement of the valves.

5. The combination of an exhaust gas operated gas turbine nozzle box having two partitions forming two chambers, a'single inlet conduit connected to the chambers on both sides of one of the partitions, said lastrnentioned partition having an extension in'the inlet conduit to define two channels therewith, and means including a valve in one of the channels and a valved bypass connected to the other channel to control the flow of gases to the chambers, the other channel being free of valves.

EDW B. CLKE. 

